In this article, the concept of education for sustainable development is substantiated and expanded upon from a socio-economic perspective. Incorporating the concept of the economic citizen, we present the liberal republican civic ethos, moral judgement, decision-making capabilities and key competencies relevant for sustainability together with an informed understanding of economic context as constitutive elements of the educational concept. Against the backdrop of the limited reach of individual behavioural changes and the necessary reflections on structural questions, a heuristic of shared responsibility for sustainable development will be devised.